By J. Graber | Fountain Hills Times Independent (abridged)
The solution to the hauled water problem in Rio Verde Foothills hammered out by state, county and municipal lawmakers with private water utility EPCOR may not be as elegant as once thought, according to some area residents.
Karen Nabity has written to the Arizona Corporation Commission concerned EPCOR does not have enough water to serve the 1,344 homes expected to sign up to use standpipe the company is building for the unincorporated community northeast of Scottsdale.
She’s also concerned about the cost of the water, that is supposed to be flowing from the standpipe by Dec. 31, a date that has turned tenuous.
EPCOR officials wrote in June to the City of Scottsdale, which is currently allowing the company to use its standpipe and water treatment facilities to provide water to Rio Verde Foothills residents as part of a short-term solution until EPCOR can get its own standpipe and water treatment running on Dec. 31.
A poll of Scottsdale City Council members by the Daily Independent at the time revealed mixed views on the request, but a statement released Friday by the City of Scottsdale said the city is not interested in giving any extension to EPCOR.
The city recently told EPCOR it was not interested in extending the use of its standpipe to serve the community.
“The city’s agreement is with the standpipe district, and the district would need to be at the table for any discussion of an extension,” the statement said. “Outside of any consideration of an extension, the city continues to hear that EPCOR is confident that they can meet the Dec. 31, 2025, deadline to begin providing water directly to Rio Verde Foothills when the city’s agreement with the standpipe district expires. The City of Scottsdale looks forward to EPCOR meeting the deadline that they have committed to.”
EPCOR spokeswoman Lori Denaro said in an email to the Scottsdale Independent the city’s response was disappointing.
“Scottsdale is a great partner and while we had hoped for a different decision, we respect it,” Denaro said. “It doesn’t change our commitment to meeting the Dec. 31, 2025, deadline to begin direct water service to Rio Verde Foothills. The proposed extension was simply a contingency in case of construction delays, which we don’t anticipate. We remain focused on delivering a long-term, reliable water solution for the community.”
But even if EPCOR’s standpipe and water treatment facility do come online in time, Nabity is concerned about how much water it can produce.
According to EPCOR’s website 150 acre feet (48,877,650 gallons) per year are reserved to serve the 1,344 homes expected to use their service. That comes to about 3,030 gallons per month per household.
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